Hogwarts' Defense
by Lemming
Summary: Why has Professor Dumbledore chosen these seven students to help him defend Hogwarts? Why is Ginny Weasley the only 5th year involved? Why is Seamus Finnegan mad at her? Why has Draco Malfoy decided to work against Voldemort? And what does this all have t
1. An Introduction

The sun was setting over Hogwarts on an evening early in September, about two weeks after the start of term. It was very beautiful, a fact of which Harry Potter and Cho Chang seemed well aware. He had his arm around her and seemed to be whispering in her ear. Considering the way Harry had acted around Cho for the past three years, his asking her out was the only thing that could be expected, and that was exactly what he had done. Although they had only been going out for a week, already rumors were spreading that she was only going out with him because he was The Boy Who Lived. Some people hoped it was true, some hoped it wasn't, and some knew it was true. Unfortunately, Harry was not one of these.   
  
Ginny sighed. She had told herself over and over again that it was stupid to obsess over Harry Potter, and it was even stupider now that he had a girlfriend. But it wasn't as if she could help it. Every time she saw him, she felt like her heart had skipped a beat...   
  
"Hullo Weasley. Mooning over Potter again?"   
  
She gritted her teeth. Why did Malfoy always have to show up when he wasn't wanted? "Go away Malfoy, there must be someone else you can make fun of."   
  
"Ah, yes, but no one else is quite so pathetic. Only you spend every spare minute of your time staring at The Boy With A Great Big Scar On His Forehead."   
  
"Very funny, but I would think that one would stay away from those one hates. You always seem to be talking to the people you claim to dislike. Why is that?"   
  
"Well, my favorite thing to do is to make fun of people, and I'd rather not do that to those that I like."   
  
"I wasn't aware that you liked anyone."   
  
"It sounds like you have made a thorough study of my character, Weasley. I didn't know that you did that to anyone but Potter. Should I be honored?"   
  
She could hear the amusement in his voice. "I thought I told you to leave, Malfoy. Why aren't you gone?" At least his interupption had wrenched her attention away from Harry for a moment. Malfoy's laughter followed her almost all the way to the Great Hall.   
  


* * * 

  
  
"Can't we leave the Library yet?" Ron's voice was pleading.   
  
"Don't be silly, Ron, you aren't even done with your homework. when were you planning to finish your Herbology assignment?"   
  
"Erm...On the way to class?" He quickly changed the subject. "Where's Harry, anyway?"   
  
"Probably with Cho. He's hardly left her side for more than an hour at a time since they started going out. I sort of miss Harry. By the way, I haven't forgotten about your Herbology assignment. Here, you can look at my notes."   
  
"Wow, you must really want me to stay here. You never share your notes."   
  
Fortunately for Ron, their conversation was brought to a close by the entrance of Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown. Other than that, though, their appearance was anything but a blessing.   
  
Parvati, who, if possible was ditzier than Lavander, sat down next to Hermione and giggled.   
  
"So Hermione, do you know who you're going to the Hallowe'en dance with yet? A really cute seventh year from Hufflepuff asked me."   
  
"I don't know, nobody's asked me yet. Who are you going with Lavander?"   
  
"Seamus Finnegan. He hasn't asked me yet, but I know he will. Has Ron asked anyone yet?"   
  
"Bloody Hell! Why do you care?" Ron stood up.   
  
"He's not in a really good mood today." commented Hermione as Ron stormed out of the Library. 

* * * 

  
  
Dumbledore's visitor was careful not to bump into anyone as he made his way through the Great Hall. He was invisible at the moment, but one of the students would be sure to notice if they bumped into something that didn't seem to be there. The visitor smiled. It wasn't such long time since he had been a student at Hogwarts himself, and now he was the youngest fourth level Auror in history. There were only five levels of Aurors, and there were only twelve fifth level Aurors living. Some older wizards were jealous, but it wasn't his fault that he had been adopted by the Auror Institute of Reason(AIR) when he was fourteen. Anyway, he was glad to be back. Hogwarts had always been more of a home to him than his family home, and even though AIR was his home now, he still missed his old school.   
  
Dumbledore wasn't the only person he was looking forward to seeing. Of course, there were some students Dumbledore wanted him to work with, but he was looking forward to seeing Draco Malfoy. The last time the visitor had seen him, Draco was a cheerful 10 month-old baby who liked to play with peoples fingers. The visitor both looked forward to and dreaded his meeting with Draco.   
  


* * * 

  
  
It was about 11 o' clock, and the Gryffindor common room was empty, except for Ginny Weasley. She took out her schoolbooks and waited for a familiar step on the stairs. Soon it came, and Seamus Finnegan swung his bookbag over onto the couch. Then he walked around and sat down next to the bag. "What'll it be first?" he asked, "Transfiguration?"   
  
"You're just hoping that when we get to Potions, I'll be so tired I won't notice that I'm actually doing all your work for you."   
  
Seamus grinned. "I wouldn't do that, but I have to admit that you're the only person who actually understands Potions. Even Hermione can't find subsitutes for missing ingredients. She's not any good at extrapolating."   
  
Ginny and Seamus had started working together on their homework at the beginning of Ginny's fouth year. Now she was in fifth, and they still worked together every night. With Ginny's talent for Potions and Charms, and Seamus' abilities in Transfiguration and History of Magic, they had most of the main subjects covered. They both managed reasonably well in their other subjects, but their grades had gone up since they started working together. They had also become good friends, and it was nice for each of them to have someone not in their own year to talk to. They worked together for about an hour and a half, and then Seamus went to his dormitory. Ginny still had an assignment for Ancient Runes to finish, so she stayed in the common room.   
  
Suddenly, Ginny noticed a small gray mouse scurrying towards her. _ I better call the House Elves,_ thought Ginny. _Someone must have left some food nearby._ This was not uncommon, because the Gryffindors often had wild parties. She was pulled from this train of thought when the mouse disappeared and was replaced by a tall young man with blond hair. _ What is Malfoy doing in here_ she wondered. Then she realized that it couldn't possibly be Malfoy, unless he had taken a few drops of aging potion, grown a neat little moustache, and learned the Gryffindor password. The first two, of course, were entirely possible. It was the password that bothered her, since it had been changed four hours ago, and Neville Longbottom hadn't been outside since then.   
  
Again, the man interrupted her train of thought. "Ginny Weasley, I presume?"   
  


* * * 

Pease give me feedback! If you want to give suggestions, I just might use them. thanks to Onedergirl for being the first reviewer. 


	2. 

Hogwart's Defense- Chapter Two   
  
In which the identity of Ginny's mysterious visitor is revealed, and several mouths drop open.   
  
Disclaimer:Nothing belongs to me except for the Mysterious Visitor and the plot. Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling, except for assorted quotes from, and references to: the Lord Peter Wimsey books, Anything by Jane Austen, the Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Avalon, and especially Sluggy Freelance. Anyone who spots a quote gets 50 points, and 20 points for a reference. at the end, I'll dd it all up and give a prize to the person with the most points.   
  
Ginny stared. _If he knows me, it must be Malfoy._ "Malfoy, get out. You're not allowed in here. I guess you must have taken some aging potion or something, but I don't know how you got the password..." She trailed off, seeing that he was making no attempt to talk. _That's not like Malfoy. his two favorite things to do are smirking and making fun of people, and right now, he's not doing either._   
  
The man grinned at Ginny's perplexity and finally spoke. "I'm sorry, I guess I must have given you a scare. I'm not Draco Malfoy, my name is Andrew."   
  
"No last name?"   
  
"Not at the moment. Anyway, I'm here on Albus Dumbledore's order. I've been sent here to recruit you to a little project of his. Not everyone gets personal attention, but you're the only fifth year involved." He grinned again, and she had to smile back. For some reason, she felt very friendly towards him.   
  
"The other students involved are sixth years. I think they were partly chosen for their OWL scores."   
  
"Oh" Ginny was becoming very confused. "But why me? And who are you? You told me what your name is, but still..."   
  
"Well...you promise you won't say anything to anyone?"   
  
"Of course."   
  
"Well," said Andrew, "I was born fourteen years before the fall of Voldemort-sorry," he amended, "You-Know-Who."   
  
"That's all right," Ginny protested, "It's silly to be afraid of a name, and I'm trying to cure myself of it. Go on."   
  
"Right. Well, as you've probably guessed, I'm a Malfoy. My parents were Lucius Malfoy and his first wife, Rachel Bennet. My mother was pretty great, actually, but my father...My life was pretty good when I was little. Father seemed pleased with just about every thing I did. The thing was, I was always afraid of what he might do if he wasn't pleased. Turned out, I was right. When I went to school, I was sorted into Gryffindor, and Father was furious. I didn't give up though. I tried to befriend the Slytherins and ignore my own dorm-mates, for my father's sake. I did become friends with some Gryffindors: the Head Boy during my first year, James Potter, took me under his wing and introduced me to the other Gryffindors in my year. Just to please my father, I studied extra hard and got to the top of almost every class. My favorite class was Potions. I think thats something you and I have in common."   
  
"Yeah, everyone says I'm crazy for liking Potions, considering that Professor Snape hates Gryffindors so much, But it's relaxing to make potions, and _I_ don't think Snape is that bad."   
  
"Snape was nice to me when I was a kid. Of course, back then, he was pretty young himself. Right then. My mother died during my third year at Hogwarts, and immedeatly afterwards, Father married his mistress, Narcissa Floriel. Her baby, Draco, was born just before I went to start my fourth year. I guess that's why he married her so soon-because she was already pregnant."   
  
"But how did your mother die?"   
  
"No one really knows. Part of what made me finally stop obeying my father was the suspicion that he might have killed her. That, and the fact that all through the summer he had been urging me to become a Death Eater. But anyway, I liked Draco; He was too young to have any prejudices, and he seemed to like me.   
  
When I went to school, I went straight to Proffesor Dumbledore and explained everything. He helped me write a letter to Father explaining thatI did not want to be a Death Eater. We though it would be a better idea if I didn't tell him in person because of what he might do, but as soon as he got the letter, he apparated to Hogsmeade and came here. He disowned me."   
  
"I'm sorry," Ginny was getting cold. She found Seamus' sweater on the couch and wrapped it around her shoulders.   
  
"It wasn't that bad really. I felt rather relieved. The problem as that I had nowhere to live. I spent a lot of time in Dumbledore's office that year, talking to him about my options. I didn't have any close friends who would be willing to take me in, and it was getting harder and harder to fine trustworthy people. We didn't know what to do, until the Aurors Board offered to let me live at AIR. That was my best break. During summers and in spare time at school I worked on my Auror training. I became an Auror on the same day I graduated from Hogwarts."   
  
"Wow. you must have been the youngest Auror in the world."   
  
"Yes. And now Iam the youngest level four Auror in the world. For three years, I've been in the U.S., working on my level five."   
  
"You've been in the U.S.? Maybe you can help me on this report for Care of Magical Creatures. It's supposed to be on the North American Jungle Torgo."   
  
"Jungle Torgos are just muggles whohave been subjected to a lot of magical stress."   
  
"Thanks. And thanks for telling me your story. It makes being teased by six older brothers seem like a walk in the park. When will I be seeing you again?"   
  
"Probably tomorrow. Nice meeting you, Ginny."   
  
Andrew turned back into a mouse and scurried away. _I forgot to ask him why he's not on the Animagus Directory._ thought Ginny. She went up to bed and fell asleep immedeatly.   
  


* * * 

  
  
Padma Patil was quietly working. It seemed to Padma that it was all she ever did, and she was bored. The only time she could remember acting differently was on a notble occasion two years ago, at the Yule Ball. She had tried acting like her ditzy sister Parvati. Parvati had a lot of success with boys, but that night, Padma vowed never to do that again. She hadn't even enjoyed herself.   
  
But now she needed something to do. She had never managed to make any friends among her fellow Ravenclaws, so she had no one to turn to. _I wish i had just_ one _good friend_, she wished for the hundredth time. Her self-pity was interrupted by Madam Pince. "Miss Patil, Professor Dumbledore would like to see you in his office."   
  
As Padma listened to Madam Pince's instructions with half an ear, she wordered why Dumbledore wanted to see her. She had never been in trouble before. She hoped it would be something exciting, something to disrupt the monotony of constant studies.   
  


* * * 

  
  
"Why do you suppose Dumbledore wants to see us?" asked Hermione as she, Harry, Ron, and Seamus walked down the hallway. They had been summoned in the middle of Herbology, and the hallways were empty.   
  
"Probably the usual," replied Ron, "You know, the Dark Lord wants to kill Harry, or maybe it's about Peter Pettigrew. Or maybe he just likes our company."   
  
During their fifth year, Peter Pettigrew had come to Hogwarts in order to kidnap Harry. He had been caught, and was currently in Azkaban. Sirius Black was in court at the ministry of magic, having his name cleared. The fact that Pettigrew was alive clearly ment that Sirius had not killed him, and this cast new light on other circumstances.   
  
"Maybe Sirius has been pardoned and has come to visit us." suggested Harry.   
  
"But then there would be no point in having me and Ron there, and none of these theories work for Seamus."   
  
"Who knows," put in Seamus, "maybe he likes my company."   
  


* * * 

  
  
Ginny walked slowly into Professor Dumbledore's office. She knew that this was somehow related to what Andrew had told her the night before. Reflecting on this, she realized that he hadn't really told her anything relevant. Oh well.   
  
She looked around the office with interest. It was circular, and filled with shelves full of books and magical objects. There were seven chairs arranged in a semi-circle around The desk. Parvati Patil was sitting in one chair. Ginny knew and disliked her. Standing by Dumbledore's desk was Andrew, but Dumbledore was nowhere to be seen.   
  
"Hullo," Ginny said, "where's Professor Dumbledore?"   
  
"Back in his study. That's Padma Patil. Do you know her?"   
  
"_Padma_ Patil?" asked Ginny, surprised, "I'm really sorry, I mistookyou for your twin."   
  
"That's alright. It's not the first time that it's happened. Padma smiled, and wondered if Madam Pince had also mistaken her for Parvati. _Impossible. Considering how often I'm in the library, she would be more likely to mistake Parvati for me._ Ginny took a chair opposite Padma and sat down. A couple of minutes later, the door opened again and in walked Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Seamus. She looked at Seamus and pointed to the chair next to her, but he ignored her and sat down next to Hary instead.   
  
"Do you think we could all be in trouble?" Seamus asked Harry, "I haven't done anything mischevious lately - Oh wait. If he knew about the Whomping Willow, the lasso, and the WD-40, wouldn't I get sent to Filch?   
  
"You're a nutter" said Harry, laughing.   
  
"Well, school does get boring once in a while."   
  
"You can say that again," put in Padma.   
  
"Well, school does get bor - Look, theere's Dumbledore."   
  
As Dumbledore wlked to his desk, Andrew disappeared through a door in the back of the room. Dumbledore looked around, and his eyes fell on the empty chair between Ginny and Hermione. "I'm afraid we will be delayed for a few more minutes." he said, looking concerned. Draco Malfoy cose this moment to walk through the door.   
  
Several mouths dropped open. Seamus raised an eyebrow and said, "Perfect timing, Malfoy."   
  
Dumbledore's face cleared and he smiled. "Hello Mr. Malfoy. I thought we were going to hve to start without you. All of you young people have been chosen to help this school work against Voldemort. Don't ask why I chose you, because I am not quite sure myself.   
  


* * * 

  
  
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Hannah-thanks for getting me up to ten reviews, even if I had to pressure you into writin one. Kacie Michelle-I'm glad you liked it, but Pettigrew is not tall and blond, with a thin moustache, and does not look like Draco. ~wicked*witch~-Here's chapter 2, and I'm going to try and get one chapter up each week. Melanie-I think Seamus is my new favorite character. Jane-Congrats on guessing Andrew's identity. spy_angel-You say I have your attention, but can I hold it? Sophie-The name and the moustache are now firmly in place. Onedergirl-My first Reveiwer! Thanks also to Harry Potter and Hydrana Evila.   
  
I'm thinking about having Dumbledore make all of them into teams of two or three. Any idea who should be teamed up? Also, go read "The Pale Boy's Secret" by my friend Sophia. 


	3. An Explanation

Chapter 3 - An Explanation   
  
In which Andrew meets Draco, the students recieve background reading and are supjected to a series of silly names, and things become marginally more confusing.   
  
Disclaimer:Nothing belongs to me except for Andrew, the book, and the plot. Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling, except for Julian Kestrel, who belongs to Kate Ross, who, sadly, died after writing only four books. The names of the rest of the original defense team and Hrothgar Habbakuk come fully or in part from _Remarkable Names of Real People, or How to Name Your Baby_. The will also be assorted quotes from, and references to: the Lord Peter Wimsey books, Anything by Jane Austen, _The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy_, Avalon, _Kim_, and especially Sluggy Freelance. Anyone who spots a quote gets 50 points, and 20 points for a reference. at the end, I'll add it all up and give a prize to the person with the most points. This chapter will have rather more Hitch-hiker references than usual; Douglas Adams, the author of that "Trilogy in Five Parts" died last week.   
  
  
  
Dumbledore continued, "I am going to split you up into teams. I think you will work more efficiently that way. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are already a team, and it would be a shame to split them up. As for the rest of you--"   
  
"Professor," interrupted Draco, I don't see why _I_ have to be here. I'm not a _Muggle-Lover_, and if I work against the Dark Lord, my father will disown me or something."   
  
"A fact which has been proved by your brother," commented Dumbledore, "But he will be working closely with us, and we thought that you might feel the same way as him."   
  
"Draco stared. "Brother? I don't have a brother."   
  
"Ah, but you do," said Dumbledore with a faint smile, "ANDREW!" he shouted towards the back of the room, "I think Draco deserves an explanation."   
  
Andrew walked back into the room. He stared at Draco for a moment, and then led him back into the room from whence he came. The rest of the students sat quietly for about five minutes while waiting for Andrew and Draco to come back. Finally they re-entered the room. Draco said, "Alright. I'll do it."   
  
"Good," said Dumbledore, "Now we can get down to business."   
  


* * * 

  
  
_Ginny's POV_ I couldn't stop smiling. I felt like we were about to go on an adventure--I guess we were, too. Harry, Ron and Hermione didn't look very excited. I guess they'd been on too many adventures already. Maybe this project thing would let me spend more time with Harry. Draco looked embarrased, confused, and a little scared. Seamus was smiling too, and he looked just like I felt. Padma looked happy too, but in a quieter sort of way. I had a good feeling about Padma, mostly because I had once heard Parvati say that her sister was nothing like her.   
  
I caught Harry's eye and he smiled at me. I was about to go over and talk to him, but Dumbledore started speaking again. "As I was saying, Harry, Ron, and Hermione will continue to work together. As for the rest of you..." Dumbledore appeared to be lost in thought. I hoped he wouldn't put me with Draco. No matter how much confidence Dumbledore had in him, I still didn't trust him. I sort of wanted to work with Seamus, but he seemed to be angry with me for no apparent reason. I decided I'd rather be with Padma, who seemed quite nice.   
  
Dumbledore looked around again and said, "I think you four would do well all together in a group.   
  
Now, I have individual tasks for some of you. Ron," he said, handing ROn a sheaf of papers, "Here is a map of Hogwarts Castle. The map shows _all_ of the secret passages in the castle. I don't think even your older brothers discovered all of them. I trust you not to use this map for breaking any rules." Ron nodded, his eyes wide, and Dumbledore continued, "This passage here collapsed a few years ago. This one can only be used by girls, and this one can only be used on dates ending in 3 or 7 on the calendar of the Vampires. I want you to figure out a good defense system for this castle. I chose you for this because I think it will use the same skills you need for chess."   
  
The Headmaster moved on to Harry. "Harry, I would like you to simply write down everything you recall Voldemort or his supporters telling you. Draco, you will write down anything you recall your father or his friends saying about Voldemort."   
  
Dumbledore walked over to his desk and grabbed some more papers. He handed them to me and said, "Ginny, These are recipes for two potions. One causes darkness, the other enables the user to see in the dark. Unfortunately, the second potion does not affect the first. See what you can do to change this. If you need to experiment, there is a room with a red door on the same hallway as the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. When you go inside, you will find three doors. Go through the door that says "Beware of the Leopard" and you will find everything you need."   
  
"Sure Professor," I answered, "I'll do the best I can." I smiled, even though I felt really nervous.   
  
"Now that thise things are out of the way, I have some books for you all," said the Headmaster. He walked over to his desk and opened and closed the top drawer several times. I tried to catch Seamus' eye, but he turned and started talking to Padma. I was beginning to get really angry at him.   
  
Professor Dumbledore came back with a stack of books. There were seven of them, all bound in dark green leather. as he came closer, I saw that each one had the title _Hogwarts' Defense_ stamped in gold on the cover. Dumbledore handed out a copy to each of us.   
  
"This book is partly why you are all here," Said Dumbledore, looking around at us, "In 1816, a dark wizard known as Vroomfondel tried to take over Hogwarts. The Headmaster, Hrothgar J. Habbakuk, decided to put together a group of students--seven of them--to help him defend Hogwarts. That is what gave me the original idea, but as I began to chose students for _my_ Hogwarts defense team, I discovered that each of you parallels a member of the original team. This book is their story. The story of Rosetta Black, Antonio Thomas Pierre Jullien, Iris September, Epaphroditus Riffington Marsh, Hugh Erchenwine Dysart, Julian Kestrel, and Ophelia Odelin. The book is rather like a mystery novel. It was written bt Tom Jullien, who I had the pleasure of meeting when I was young."   
  
"But what will we be _Doing_?" asked Ron.   
  
"After going through a brief period of training, you will be sent on various missions across the wizarding world." Answered the Professor, "you will not be required to attend Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, but any other classes you cannot attend will be made up for during the summer. You will all stay here during vacations, and for at least part of the summer. Even if you attend all the classes you can, you will be away from school for long periods of time, and you have to make up for the classes you miss. Education is greatest blessing if of best sort. Otherwise no earthly use. I do not want you to take advantage of this and I do not want the other students to know anything about it. You are all dismissed, and excused from the rest of your classes for today."   
  
We all got up and walked out of the office silently. I followed Seamus. Something was obviously bothering him, and I had to find out what.   
  
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YES! I got my first bad reviews! If I don't get any bad review, I know I must be doing something wrong. So. The evil folks who don't like my story: G.Gito-I fail to see how any of those are plot holes. I thought I made it clear that Harry is in his sixth year. the reason I'm not using seventh years is that that gives them only one year left og Hogwarts. And I'm trying to give Andrew a personality, but it's really hard. Right. the only other person who doesn't seem to like it is Hermione2-Draco's there because I like writing about him. As for the rest of you...Reviews Rule! Percy Weasley-Yes, Seamus is cool and also on his way to becoming my favorite character. Don't mind that he's not in a great mood right now. All will be explained. Hydrana Evila-I quite like Seamus and Padma, but I can't see them as a coouple. I'm trying to stop myself from pairing everyone off, but it's so much fun... Hannah and Sophie- You guys got my references. I should have known nobody else reads Sluggy. Hannah is in the lead after that Avalon reference though. spy_angel-Yes, Ron and Hermione are a must. And I'm gad you like Seamus. Thanks to everyone who reviewed--I've added more quotes and references in the hope that people who don't read Sluggy Freelance will get some points. Not that I'm trying to stop anyone from reading Sluggy. Surf over to Sluggy.com NOW. Next time: Ginny finds out whats up with Seamus, I write my first bit of romance-y type stuff, and we find out who is parallel to which funny name. Melody 


	4. The Book

Chapter 4-The Book   
  
In which everyone starts to read, Ginny and Seamus make up, and Draco eats curry.   
  
  
  
By the time Ginny got out of Dumbledore's office, Seamus had disappeared. She thought about running after him, but decided against it; she could always corner him in the common room later. She slowed down to wait for the other Gryffindors.   
  
"Hey," said Hermione, as she and her two best friends caught up with Ginny, "We didn't think we'd be able to catch up with you: You were off like a shot."   
  
"Oh, sorry," said Ginny, "I was trying to catch up with Seamus, But he seems to have disappeared."   
  
"Right then," said Ron, "Buzz off Ginny, we have important things to discuss." "Ron!" exclaimed Ginny, "You are the rudest person I have ever met in my entire life!" She turned to leave, but Harry stopped her. "You don't have to go, Ginny," he said, ""And we _don't_ have anything important to talk about he adde, with a meaning ful look at Ron. He smiled at Ginny, who smiled back, and was miraculously able to keep herself from blushing. _Am I getting over him?_ she wondered, _I hope so._ She could tell that they were lying, and did have something important to discuss, but she didn't say anything. After all, there were better ways of finding things out than asking.   
  


* * * 

  
  
Seamus climbed through the portrait hole and walked over to one of the couches. He didn't pay any attention to Lavender, who was batting her eyelashes at him, but she walked over anyway.   
  
"Hello Seamus," said Lavender.   
  
"Go away Lavender," said Seamus. She walked off. Seamus sighed and sat back. He had a lot to think about, but he was not fated to be left alone for long. An angry-looking Ginny Weasley was headed toward him and it looked like she was in a take-no-prisoners sort of mood. She sat down next to him and glared.   
  
"What have _I_ done?" asked Seamus confusedly.   
  
"What have _you_ done?" she replied in a tone of disbelief, "Only ignore me for no reason all day."   
  
"No reason? All right, I'll let that pass, but would you just tell me what's so great about Malfoy?"   
  
"Malfoy?" She was genuinely confused now. "What about him? I hate his guts and I'm beginning to think that Dumbledore is out of his mind, making us work with him." "Look, Ginny, I saw him last night. You can't get out of it. You were sitting there talking to him in the early hours of the morning."   
  
"Oh," said Ginny, and began to smile, "That wasn't Malfoy - well, it was _a_ Malfoy, but it wasn't Draco. Remember that guy in Dumbledore's office? Andrew? It was him. He's Draco's brother, but it's sort of a secret."   
  
"How do you know him though?" asked Seamus, "and why did you let him into the common room?"   
  
Ginny puased for a moment. She wasn't really allowed to tell Seamus anything about Andrew, but she had to tell him something. Finally she said, "I don't know how he got in, but he was allowed to be here. He's a Gryffindor alumnus, so he could have gotten the password even if he wasn't on a secret mission or something."   
  
"All right, said Seamus, "I'm sorry I got mad at you, but still, that guy is a total wanker."   
  
"He is not. Stop being silly. How about we get started on reading that book?"   
  
"Right then," said Seamus. He opened his copy of _Hogwarts' Defense_ and began to read aloud.   
  


* * * 

  
  
Harry, Hermione and Ron sat down on Ron's bed. Ginny had been right. They did have something important to talk about, but at the moment, she wasn't around to listen. After the three had talked for a while, Hermione took out her copy of _Hogwrts' Defense_. "Oh right, said Ron, "Herm, you can read aloud to us."   
  
"You're just trying to get out of work, Ron," she replied, "but all right."   
  
"Oh no," said Harry, sitting up. I forgot about Cho. I was supposed to meet her after class. Sorry, you two, but I have to go."   
  
"No you don't," said Ron, pulling Harry down onto the bed, "You are going to forget all about her and listen to Hermione read."   
  
Harry grumbled, but relaxed. The truth was, he would rather hang with his friends than with Cho, but there was no way he'd admit that to anyone. He sat back as Hermione began to read.   
  


* * * 

  
  
Padma put away her finished homework and pulled out her _Hogwarts' Defense_ book. She was looking forward to reading it, but she was also a little scared. Her wish for an adventure had come true with a vengeance. She didn't really know any of her team-mates at all. Everyone knew the famous Harry Potter and his two side-kicks, and she had a couple of classes with Draco Malfoy, but she'd never really spoken to any of them. Oh well. What did it really matter anyway? She reminded herself to ask Dumbledore if she would be given any extra credit, then opened her book and began to read.   
  


* * * 

  
  
Draco walked into the Great Hall with Crabbe and Goyle at his heels. He turned around for moment nd asked them if they knew what was for dinner. They always did.   
  
"Uh," said Crabbe, scratching his head, "It's curry night. Damned Pakis." Draco smiled. "Well, thanks for the escort," he said, "but I'll hve to leave you here." He let his smile broaden as he walked toward the empty end of the Slytherin table. He loved curry, and Crabbe and Goyle were a couple of prejudiced idiots. He sat down and helped himself to large portions of Chicken Tikka Masala, Lamb Vindaloo, Saag Paneer, Paratha, and Basmati rice. He pulled out his copy of _Hogwarts' Defense_ and began to read. By the end of dinner, Draco had discovered which of his classmates parallelled which of the long-dead heroes of this book.   
  
Tom Jullien was Darco himself. That was easy. Tom was a rich, good-looking Slytherin with a sarcastic sense of humor, whose father owned the largest store in Knockturn Alley.   
  
Hugh Dysart was Harry. Hugh had saved a whole stadium full of wizards and witches at the Quidditch World Cup in 1802, when he was two years old. He had been hit with a curse by Vroomfondel's predecessor, Majikthise. The curse had been ment to wipe out the entire crowd, but it killed no one, and Majithise was never heard from again. Hugh was also Gryffindor's star seeker. _Really,_ thought Draco, _ That's so much of a coincidence, it's silly._   
  
Paph Marsh was Ron, poor but proud and always in the shadow of his famous friend. Iris September was Hermione, too smart for her own good. Julian Kestrel was Seamus, clever and witty. Ophelia Odelin was Padma, shy and quiet, but clever. Rosetta Black was Ginny, pretty, poor, and fiesty.   
  
_How are we going to live up to them?_ wondered Draco. A second later, he realized that he had just related himself to his team-mates with a "we", and felt disgusted with himself. ##################################################################### I'm having trouble w/ ffnet, as is everyone these days, so I can't credit the reviewers. The ones I remember re these: Sophie and Hannah, thanks as always, and long live Sluggy! Hermione2, no, I don't hate you and I wasn't really talking about your review. Hazel Harman, here it is, finally. hope this measures up to your standards. Thanks everyone, even the ones I haven't credited here. Also, happy ending, or semi-sad ending? It really depends on whether you want it Draco/Ginny or Seamus/Ginny, and if you want history to repeat itself or not. Please tell me. Melody 


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